Russia successfully tested its two new Bulava intercontinental missiles, which experienced several failures in the past, from a submerged submarine in the Arctic White Sea and hit the target, a designated polygon, on Kamchatka peninsula. Bulava packs 6-10 re-entry vehicles.

Roger Cavanos, a Nautilus Institute Associate, assesses the Chinese media’s response to Kim Jong-Il’s death. His conclusion was that this interaction was scripted some time ago in planning for KJI’s eventual death, it emphasizes stability and an controlled transition to Kim Jong-Un, and that the primary concerns in China involve provocation from the ROK and US, not the control of fissile material or nuclear weapons in North Korea.

Looking at livelihoods from SLA (sustainable livelihoods approach) lens is effective as a means of assessing climate change adaptation capacity because it is able to (i) reveal local vulnerabilities, (ii) build an understanding of macro- and micro-level enabling conditions for climate change adaptation, and (iii) identify locally relevant resilience-building options.

The Fukushima accident in March of 2011 started a cascade of changes to Japanese energy policy, including increased interest in renewable energy. A legislative bill passed 8/26 changes jurisdiction over an expanded “feed-in tariff” from nuclear industry-linked-METI to a nominally independent commission. A political battle has erupted between nuclear and renewable power advocates regarding the background of nominees to serve on the commission.

Japanese Prime Minister Noda and PRC President Hu Jintao emphasized the need for stability and denuclearization on the Korean peninsula following the death of Kim Jong-il and discussed further trilateral economic cooperation between the two states and the ROK. Separately, the ROK and PRC pledged stronger bilateral cooperation to maintain stability in the region; meanwhile, the DPRK has requested that the ROK uphold previous economic agreements.